Night time Nerves

[Hazel & Chester Wayte]

Chester is a little nervous to go out and do his business when it is dark out.

It makes me wonder what he senses that I don't..There are coyotes in the area.

His routine is to pee on grass and poo on the gravel side of the road.

He will sometimes refuse to walk down or up the street.he starts to walk and then will sit and refuse to move. I try to coax him along 'it's OK '.

If it is garbage day - or if there is a different car parked in a different spot it is even more difficult.

Noises that don't bother him in the daylight really make him nervous- occasionally bolting if he is startled.

He does to something particularly adorable- If he needs to go out- he will sit on the stairs and look at us.When we get up to take him out- he will go and get his favourite teddy bear to 'protect' him.He has to carry His bear down the street with him.

If anyone has any suggestions I would like to hear them. I don't want to traumatize him..but it is frustrating to take him out in the freezing temps only to have him not do his business.

[Hazel & Chester Wayte]

My yard isn't fenced in.We live on the back of a green space. IN a really Rocky area.

There are often Deer, Raccoons, Black Bear, Bunnies.. and now Fox and Coyote sitings in our area.

I don't mind any of them- Except the Coyotes.Not sure what would happen if we encountered one or a few.

I am so glad I don't have Alligator issues!!

[Christine & Camus]

Add Camus to the "Mom - please I'm afraid of the dark, can we go in now," Doodle club!  Camus is the first dog I have had that is afraid of the dark, really spooked by bumps in the night. I usually say lets go and give him a gentle tug on the leash.  It's almost funny to watch him run into the house and be so happy once he is back inside. My thinking was that he may have had some bad experiences while out on his own, before he ended up in the shelter.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Sounds just like Daisy we got her a Thundershirt and it seems to help a great deal she actually comes to us to get it on, her winter coat we have to wrangle her to put it on.

Like Chester Daisy was fearless as a puppy but the older she got the more nervous. She is finally use to the garbage cans but very tentative, even in the house by the slider where she can see it's dark out. It seems to have gotten worse in the winter when it's dark so much.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Ahh, Thundershirt! Like :)
Good idea Lisa.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Ollie is afraid of new people and new situations and the thundershirt really seems to help him feel less stressed.  I wouldn't suggest putting it on Chester if he is going outside to "take care of business" because it can easily get peed on (we have had several near misses with Ollie's thundershirt!)

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

It sounds like Chester is skidish like my Sasha.  Both my doodles are OK with going out at night, I have a fenced in back yard with lights.  But Sasha can only tolerate being out and about only so long.  I think all the noise wheather it be day or night gets to her and she starts pacing and giving me signs she is ready to go home.  Example... while at the dog park, after about 45 minutes she will go and sit by the exit gate then come back to me, then go back by the gate as to say "I'm ready to go home Mom".  Even if we go on long walks around the neighborhood, it seems that at night the noises, car lights, etc. seems to bother her after a while and she starts to pull on the leash as to say "home please"...    But is she is at family and friend's homes and in a fenced in yard she is fine - go figure.  Maybe she feels safe in confined areas, I do try and bring her out with me as much as possible to face her fears a little bit at a time and get her use to different sights and sounds. 

 

Oliver is my social butterfly.... he has no fears of anything ! - LOL

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Poor Chester-with his teddy bear. I wouldn't say that Myla is afraid of the dark in our yard, we have big lights too. If we are out for a walk and it starts to get dark out, she will trot all the way home as fast as we will let her. She just doesn't like the dusk/dark part of the day unless she's in the fenced yard and even then, she's very cautious. I hope he can overcome this!

[Jo and Beamer]

Geez I took Beamer outside late last night to encounter deer in our yard. I live in a very populated area of Atlanta, have a extremely small yard enclosed with a high iron fence with a pool. I was as shocked as was Beamer. Sure did not help our barking issues. He has been looking all day for them. No more pansies next year in the yard for grazing deer.